Cord, 60, Longtime Coach at Poly, Dies

Jerry Cord, retired teacher, baseball coach and athletic director at Poly High, died of complications from cancer Sunday in Panorama City. He was 60.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Oakwood West funeral home in Chatsworth. Cord’s family asks donations be made to the Jerry Cord Scholarship Fund, in care of Sherry Corpening, Poly High, 12431 Roscoe Blvd., Sun Valley 91352.

Cord retired from Poly last year. He had been battling Hodgkin’s disease, a form of cancer that affects the lymph nodes, since he was 55. In the last year, he developed lymphoma.

Richard Windham, who taught at Poly High for 34 years and retired in 1995, said the service will be outdoors “because there will be too many people to put inside.”

Cord led Poly High to three appearances in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was the high school’s first student body president and became a teacher there in 1967. Poly dedicated its baseball field this spring in Cord’s name.

Everett Macy, who taught at Poly for 20 years before transferring to Cleveland in 1990 and eventually Kennedy, said Cord was a class act.

“The example of that is when they dedicated the field to him, all the coaches he had coached against were there to honor him,” Macy said. “That’s the supreme compliment.”

Cord is survived by his wife, Karen, and a son, Josh. Another son, Christopher, died the day before Cord’s last City final appearance in 1992. Cord retired as coach the next day.

BASKETBALL

* Christina Aguinaga, a Times’ All-Valley selection last season for El Camino Real High, has transferred to Taft.

Aguinaga, who will be a senior, averaged 19.3 points and made 74 of 155 (47.7%) three-point shots to lead El Camino Real (18-7) to a share of the West Valley League title with Chatsworth. She was selected to the All-City team.

TENNIS

* Travis Rettenmaier of Camarillo and Ryan Redondo of Carlsbad took third place in doubles at the U.S. Tennis Assn. Boys’ 18 Super National Hardcourt Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Rettenmaier and Redondo defeated Nicholas Goldberg of Albuquerque, N.M., and David Kowalski of Carlsbad, N.M., 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1, on Sunday. Rettenmaier and Redondo lost, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals to eventual champions Tres Davis of Austin, Texas, and Robby Ginepri of Marietta, Ga.

No. 2-seeded Prakash Amritraj of Encino defeated Matt Cloer of Linville, N.C., 6-3, 6-3, to finish third in singles.

Brian Baker of Nashville defeated Lester Cook of Calabasas, 6-4, 7-5, in the consolation final of the boys’ 16 division. Baker defeated Robert Yim of Glendale, 6-3, 6-2, in the consolation quarterfinals.

* Jesse Hang of Lanark Recreation Center in Canoga Park and John Tran of El Monte won a gold medal in the 12-and-under doubles of an Amateur Athletic Foundation/Southern California Tennis Assn./National Junior Tennis League tournament last week at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center.

Eileen Chang and Ryan Sirimahachaikul , Valerie Chang and George Vosahlo, and Derrick Hang and Annie Gerro of Lanark also earned gold medals.

SOFTBALL

* The Valley-based Southern California Spirit won the Triple Crown 14-and-under national championship in Steamboat Springs, Colo., on Sunday.

The Spirit was unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament, defeating the Moreno Valley Vipers, Norco Fillies, Texas Storm and Arizona Roadrunners.

Team members are Christine Craighead, Kristin Gallant, Heather Grossnickle, Annie Kinsey, Megan Luna, Danielle Mellin, Joanna Mostarda, Lauren Nydam, Annlise Rodli, Megan Schlopy, Courtney Turner, Veronica Valencia and Elizabeth Valencia. The team was coached by Robert Craighead, Mike Schlopy and Ron Gallant.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Nick Zoetewey, who won the Foothill League title for Saugus High last year, has transferred to Canyon but might not be eligible to compete for the varsity.

Zoetewey, who will be senior, has been training with Canyon this summer. But the Southern Section recently denied his application for a hardship transfer waiver, meaning he would be eligible to compete only on the junior varsity level.

Chuck Zoetewey, Nick’s father, said Tuesday that he is looking into appealing the Southern Section’s decision.